Bridle bit



April 7, 1925. I 1"; 532,622

E. ERICKSON BRIDLE BIT Filed Aug. 6. 1924.

INVENTOR WITNESSES w m I 96 i ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 7, 1925s Uittllllid EDOR ERICKSON, F PHELIPSBURG, MONTANA.

BR-IDLE BIT.

Application filed August 6, 1924. Serial No. 730,459.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enos ERICKSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philipsburg, in the county of Granite and State of, Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridle Bits, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in bridle bits, and it consists in the combinations,

constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a bridle bit which affords facilities for guiding and controlling the movement of an ani mal to which the bit has been applied effectively without likelihood of injury to the mouth of the animal even though the mouth of the animal be relatively tender and a relatively great pull on the bridle reins be required to maintain control of the animal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bridle bit which will be effective to control an animal which is vicious or difiicult of control since the device affords facilities for constricting the nostrils of the animal and to thus interfere with the breathing of the animal.

A further object of. the invention is to provide a'bridle bit of the character described which includes bit-rings and means associated therewith for preventingthe bitrings from being drawn into the mouth of the animal to which the device is applied, thereby preventing pinching, squeezing or other injury to the mouth of the animal.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a bridle bit which afiords facilities for maintaining control of the animal without interfering with the free use of the month by the animal.

Other objects and advantages will be ap parent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings; in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a bridle bit embodying the invention in applied position,

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the mouth piece and bit rings of the device,

F i gure 3 is a fragn ientary side elevation of one of the bit rings and associated parts of the device,

. Figure 4 is a section along the line 44 of Figure 3,

. Figure 5 is a side elevation of the mouth piece, bit ring and fragmentary portion of the cheek strap.

In. carrying out the invention, 1 make use of a mouth piece 1 which may be a straight rigid 'bar enlarged at its ends at 2, the enlargements being provided with transverse openings in which are swiveled enlarged portions 3 of bit rings 4, The arrangement is such that the bit ring a is prevented from moving about its center through the opening of the mouth piece in which the enlarged portion of the bit ring is received but is permitted to swing bodily about the axis of the enlarged portion 3 thereof. The side portions 5 of the usual bridle strap are attached at their'lower ends to the bit rings as by means of the loops 6 so that the mouth piece 1 will be retained in the mouth of a horse or like animal when bridle strap is in applied position on the neck of the animal, as illustrated in Figure 1. Each bit ring 4 is provided on its outer face with a pair of opposite substantially U-shaped guides 7 and 8 respectively. The guide 7 is carried by the portion of the bit ring which is positioned at the side of the lower jaw of the animal while the guide 8 carried by the portion of the bit ring that is positioned alongside of the upper jaw of the animal when the mouth piece is disposed in the mouth of the animal and is held therein by the bridle straps. The guide 7 will therefore be termed the rear guide and the guide 8 will be termed the front guide in the following description. The arms of eachguide 7 are of slightly greater strength than the. arms of the associated guide 8 so that the webportions of the guide 7 will be spaced a greater distance from the plane of the bit ring on which it is supported than is the web portion of the associated guide 8. The web portion of the each of the guides 7 and 8 carries a roller 9.

The nose band has a padded intermediate portion 10 which extends across the nostrils of the animal and end straps 11 which are extended through. the guides 8, 7 between the rollers 9 and the pot-ti of the bit rings which extend between the arms of the U- shaped guides, the ends of the attaching straps 1i beinc' turned forwardly on themselves and at ached to the bit rings as at 12 almost directly under the guides 7, ti us providing rea wardly ertending loop portions in the end portions of the nose band as indicated at 13 in Figure 4:. Suitable fasten ng such as the double rings 1.4L are attached to the half 1001 13 of the nose band a. which extend thror are slidable along the c fastening devices 1i is adapted for conn tion with a bridle rein as indicates at V L which is adjustably connected at its uppe end as at 1'? to the cream por n or the bridle strap. The strap 16 is bifurcated at its lower end and the furcations, indicated at 18 diverge toward their lower ends and are provided at their lower ends with harness loops 19.

The nose band 10 is provided spaced apart points with fastening devices sir-ch as the straps 20, ea h of which is attached to the nose band and carries a bridle square 21 through wl ch the lower end portion of one of the turcations 18 extends, said end portion of the ziurcation then be turned upws dly and be a adjust, ra eable with the associated able position by means ot an ad'ustable spacing means which comprises a strap 16 r lQ vJh'er-Q'by the nose bane may by the strap 16.

lhor'n the foregoing desorption of the various parts of the device the operation th reef inay be readih, lllliLCI'SLOOCl. A pull on the reins will be lS-illljt ted equally between the mouth piece and the nose band. Therefore, the devi is ive to bring an animal which is tll'illitllt to manage under control since a coainued pull on the reins will. tend to inter upt the breathing of the animal. This will be true even though the animal shall have gripped the mouth piece between its teeth. Since the nose wand is padded, it will not cha't'e r cause soreness of the animals muzzle. Since the pull on the reins is distrilnited equally between the nose band and the mouth piece the likelihood of injury to the mouth of the animal because of the mouth piece being jerked thereagainst is practically precluded.

()bviously, my invention is susceptible of embodimen in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawing and fl the shire consider as my own all such modifications and ads: tions of the torni of the device herein described as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

we a pair 0t outwardly extending subly U-shap'ed guiding and retai; rig o ers respectively carried by the forward and rea ward portions of the bit rings, and a '1. se band having end portions extended between said guiding and retalning members tor-ward nd icarward portions of the bit a band having end portions ietwecn said guiding and retainand the bit ings and the of;-

said portions attached to Qirc -d portions of the bit rings, the the front gn'ding and retaining of less length than the arms aiding and retaining inenibers. \lle bit, a niouth piece, bit rings i the end portions of said mouth of said bit rings ha 'ing a pair tially U-shaped outwardly extend- 7V and retaining members joined to at the nds of the arms of said guidand retaining ineinbers, one 01'' the dnig and retaining members being joined 1;) the rearward portion ofthe bit rings and the other of said pair of guiding taining members being joined to 'd portion. of the bit ring and a having end portions extended beg and retaining members rings and having the extreme tons thereof doubled under and at lg and retaining rnen'ibersand es: Yard pbrt'ions ot the bit rings. o. In a bridle bit, a mouth piece, bit rings su lv piper said guiding and ing and retaining members being joined to the rearward portion of the bit rings and the other of said pair of guiding and retaining members being joined to the forward portion of the bit ring, a nose band having end portions extended between the guiding and retaining members and the bit rings and having the extreme end portions thereof doubled under and attached to the rearward portions of the bit rings, thus providing at- 1 taohing half loops in the end portions of the nose band between the rear guiding and retaining members and the rearward portions of the bit rings, and means whereby the ends of reins may be attached to said 1 half loops.

EDOR ERICKSON.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No? 1,532,622, granted April 7, 1925, upon the application of Edor Erickson, of Philipsburg, Montana, for an improvement in Bridle Bits, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 9&, for the Word strength read length, and line 100, strike out the article the first occurrence; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Otfice.

Signed and sealed this 30th day of June, A. D. 1925.

[SEAL] KARL FENNING,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

